An open forum to discuss health and wellness under the watchful eye of a former junk food enthusiast. Let's have fun and learn from each other!

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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Jonathan Safran Foer on "Ellen"

When I began this journey, it was simply to improve my health and wellness. As I continue to do more research into the practices of creating and distributing food in this country, I start to get tired. Tired of being lied to and manipulated. Tired of being led to believe that farms are happy places where the animals live nice lives and are milked and cared for by an old, good-hearted James Cromwell-esque man. Tired of being told that "cage-free" living is really so much better than chickens being caged. But I'll leave the ranting for a later date and share this enlightening interview given by Jonathan Safran Foer (Everything is Illuminated) on the "Ellen Show". His is also the author of Eating Animals which I am currently reading. I will be sharing my thoughts on the book when I finish but his research, insight, and knowledge is staggering and moving. He is just a regular guy who wonders why things in the food industry must be the way they are. Truly a fascinating man.

Enjoy watching! Please become a follower, share your thoughts, follow me on Twitter (@Recon_Carnivore), and tell your friends and family to do the same. Thank you for your support!

While I'm certainly not at a place in my life where I'm ready to give up meat (it's a debate I have within myself frequently, but the meat always wins...), I never really thought of it from the perspective of transparency regarding where the product is made. While I'm sure meat isn't the only industry that tries to keep their production shrouded in secrecy, as the gentleman in the interview seems to want us to believe, it is almost nausea-inducing to think about it that way. We put this food into our bodies but are denied all access to the information regarding the physical way it's produced. That's sort of mind-boggling, and something I think few people consider.

You're absolutely right. Meat is DEFINITELY not the only industry that goes to insane lengths to keep their dirty secrets. But when all those dirty secrets directly involve us as a society (we're talkin' the health and well-being of millions of people, here!), it becomes so much more disturbing. It's no secret that the U.S.A. is not a very healthy country. If these people can, in good conscience, look in the mirror everyday and not think that their business practices, privacy, and loopholes aren't contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. then it will never get any better. Just tell the truth!

About Me

I have eaten poorly all of my life. I was the guy who'd eat sugary cereal for breakfast, a Frankenstein "lunch", McDonald's for dinner, and a midnight snack of Doritos, Gummi Worms, Tasty Kakes, a Milky Way bar, and a Cherry Coke just before going to sleep. The next day, rinse and repeat. I always had good metabolism so I didn't gain lots of weight but one day, I just didn't feel right. I had issues waking up in the morning, I moved more slowly, I was crabby, my stomach felt like it was constantly trying to digest, etc. So, I did some food experimentation and realized that most of what I was eating was not agreeing with my body (mostly dairy and processed meats). So, I decided to take a drastic step. I decided that I wanted to wipe the slate clean and start anew. I became a vegan (cold-turkey) and exercised every single day. Over a year later, I've never felt better and I feel like I'm adding years to my life, instead of subtracting. I'm not advocating one way or another for veganism. However, I AM advocating an informed, healthy, conscious lifestyle. Trust me, you'll feel like a million bucks. So, let's get healthier as we age and enjoy the ride!